Maternal And Infant Health Episodes

Dec. 18, 2023

566: Policies to Curb Sexually Transmitted Infections, Xylazine Regulation and Testing

Dr. Anne Zink, ASTHO immediate past president and chief medical officer for the Alaska Department of Health, says policies can help address the fact that the number of babies born with syphilis is ten times higher than in 20…
Dec. 7, 2023

559: Policy Ideas Address Maternal Morbidity, Investment in the 9-8-8 Hotline

Dr. Sameer Vohra, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, examines the third edition of the state’s maternal morbidity and mortality report; Dr. Umair Shah, secretary of health for the Washington State Departme…
Dec. 6, 2023

558: A Call to Expand Naloxone Availability, Policies to Solve Maternity Care Deserts

ASTHO President and Kentucky Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack says easier access to naloxone could help prevent many overdose deaths; former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams says naloxone should be as easy to find a…
Dec. 5, 2023

557: Pharmacists Give RSV Vaccine Without Prescription, PH Needs to Boost Strategic Skillset

Dr. Jim McDonald, commissioner of Health, New York State Department of Health, gives an order that allows New York pharmacists to administer RSV vaccines to older adults and pregnant people without a prescription; de Beaumo…
Dec. 4, 2023

556: New Suicide Prevention Policy Statement, Testing Could Curb Newborn Syphilis Cases

Dr. Mark Levine, commissioner, Vermont Department of Health, says ASTHO’s new policy statement on suicide prevention offers many recommendations including a call to improve access to health care services for those at highest…
Nov. 8, 2023

541: Syphilis Needs a Campaign, Expand Your Community Health Worker Force

Dr. Anne Zink, ASTHO past president and Alaska chief medical officer, raises the alarm on the need for new attention to the rising number of syphilis cases in the U.S.; Stephanie Doyle, deputy director for the Bureau of Fami…
Nov. 7, 2023

540: How to Hire a Public Health Nurse, Roundtables Get Lawmakers Talking

Dr. Robert Goldstein, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, says local agency partnerships are key to the success of new public health performance standards; Allison Nickrent, director of governmenta…
Oct. 31, 2023

535: Community Engagement Fosters Equity, Legislative Testimony Tips

Jade Ramsdell, Performance Improvement Director with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, says community engagement leads to more inclusive decision-making; Lorrin Kim, Chief Policy Officer and Legislative Coordi…
Oct. 4, 2023

517: New Mental Health Framework, Teaming Up to Address Overdoses

Dr. Nia West-Bey, the director of youth policy at the Center for Law and Social Policy, shares a new framework focused on prevention and wellness promotion among young people; Dr. Cathy Slemp, co-founder and vice chair of th…
Oct. 3, 2023

516: Mpox Approaches, Health Equity Report Card Creator

Chris Taylor, ASTHO’s Director of Infectious Disease Outbreak Response and Recovery, says it's important that health departments remain vigilant against Mpox; Alyssa Gonzales, Communication Specialist at Salud America, share…
Sept. 26, 2023

511: Maternal Equity Study, Shutdown Budget Impacts

Dr. Jennifer Tang, a Professor of OB-GYN at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, calls for better solutions to maternal health inequities; a new ASTHO blog article examines the impact of rural hospital closur…
Sept. 22, 2023

509: Bundling Vaccinations, Hoping to Avoid a Government Shutdown

Dr. Gillian SteelFisher, Director of Global Polling at the Harvard Opinion Research Program, says promoting the flu, RSV, and COVID-19 vaccines together help broaden the appeal; Dr. Jennifer Shuford, Commissioner for the Tex…
Sept. 21, 2023

508: Healthy Aging Challenges, Supporting Maternal Mental Health

Dr. Puja Seth, the Healthy Aging Branch Chief at the CDC, shares a new state-focused program that aims to address dementia; Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman, the Deputy Secretary of Public Health at the Maryland Department of Health,…
Sept. 12, 2023

501: Prepping for Cyber Attacks, Suicide Awareness and Data

Adrianna Evans, ASTHO’s Director of Preparedness and Disability Integration, says cybersecurity is an emerging topic in preparedness planning; Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, Chief Medical Executive for the State of Michigan, expla…
Aug. 31, 2023

494: Mapping Overdose Center Legislation, Overdose Prevention Work Demands Flexibility

JoAnne McClure, ASTHO Senior Analyst for State Policy, explains an ASTHO webpage that tracks legislation to authorize overdose centers in some states; Dr. Laura Chisholm, Section Manager for Injury and Violence Prevention wi…